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Home Forums What is Routing in ASP.NET Core and its types? – MindStick
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ICSM Computer
ICSM Computer 30 Mar 2026
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Maps an incoming HTTP request (URL) to a specific controller action or endpoint.

Simple Understanding

When a user hits:

/article/details/10

Routing decides:

  • Which Controller
  • Which Action Method
  • What parameters

How Routing Works

Flow:

URL → Routing Engine → Controller → Action → Response

Example:

/article/details/10

Mapped to:

ArticleController → Details(int id = 10)

Types of Routing in ASP.NET Core

There are mainly 2 types:

1. Conventional Routing

Defined centrally in Program.cs

Example:

app.MapControllerRoute(
    name: "default",
    pattern: "{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}");

How it works:

  • URL follows a pattern
  • Controller & action inferred automatically

Example URL:

/Home/About

Calls:

HomeController → About()

Pros:

  • Simple
  • Good for standard apps

Cons:

  • Less control for complex APIs

2. Attribute Routing

Defined directly on controllers/actions using attributes

Example:

[Route("article")]
public class ArticleController : Controller
{
    [Route("details/{id}")]
    public IActionResult Details(int id)
    {
        return View();
    }
}

URL:

/article/details/10

Shortcut:

[HttpGet("article/details/{id}")]

Pros:

  • More control
  • Cleaner for APIs
  • Flexible URLs

Cons:

  • Can get messy if overused

3. Endpoint Routing (Modern Approach)

Introduced in ASP.NET Core 3+

Configured in:

app.MapControllers();

Works with:

  • Attribute routing
  • Minimal APIs

4. Minimal API Routing (Advanced)

Used in lightweight APIs:

app.MapGet("/hello", () => "Hello World");

Route Parameters

Example:

{controller}/{action}/{id?}
  • controller → required
  • action → required
  • id? → optional

Route Constraints

Restrict parameter types:

[Route("product/{id:int}")]

Default Values

{controller=Home}/{action=Index}/{id?}

Routing vs URL Rewriting

  • Routing → maps URL to code
  • URL Rewriting → modifies URL before routing

Best approach:

  • Use Attribute Routing for APIs
  • Use Conventional Routing for UI pages

Common Mistakes

1. Conflicting routes

  • Two routes match same URL → error

2. Missing app.MapControllers()

  • Routes won’t work

3. Overusing hardcoded routes

  •  Not maintainable

Real Example (Best Practice)

[Route("api/articles")]
public class ArticleController : Controller
{
    [HttpGet("")]
    public IActionResult GetAll() {}

    [HttpGet("{id:int}")]
    public IActionResult GetById(int id) {}
}

Final Definition

Routing in ASP.NET Core is the system that connects URLs to the right code (controller/action) so the application can respond correctly.

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